The field benefited from another low-scoring day at The K Club.
Shubhankar Singh, who opened the Horizon Irish Open on Thursday with a 7 under 65 and slept on the 18 hole lead alone, shot a 6-under-66 Friday and is now joined at the top of the leaderboard by Jordan Smith, both shooting 13-under.
Sharma told the Irish media that it was a very quick start. “We started very early in the morning, so I felt a little sleepy. I made a lot putts in the first nine. It was incredible to have nine single putts. It’s the first time I’ve ever done that.
“Everything went smoothly. I was hitting the ball in the right places and I was very good within ten feet. “So it all came together.”
Full Leaderboard Irish Open
Smith shot a 7 under 65 after shooting a 66 in the first round. This included nine birdies, and a double-bogey at the par-4 seventeenth. The Englishman who won his second DP World Tour title at the Portugal Masters in 2013 tied for 20th place at last week’s European Masters.
Hurly Long (6 under 66), Ross Fisher (6 under 66), and Calum Hill (7 under 65) are all alone at 11 under.
Rory McIlroy, tied for 26th place at 5 under and eight back is Shane Lowry, who is alone ninth with a 4-under-68.
The Northern Irishman was the winner of the day when he hit his 116-yard shot into the par-5 16, resulting in an eagle.
HOLE OUT EAGLE FOR @McIlroyRory #HorizonIrishOpen pic.twitter.com/8J2nJ9kgDV
DP World Tour August 8, 2023
The Irish Open will be covered on Golf Channel Saturday morning at 7:30 am. ET until 12:30 pm. ET.
